The Conservatives most recent mailbox flyer, entitled Standing Up for Our Armed Forces, certainly raises questions Canadians should be aware of.
The untendered purchase of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, for example, particularly at such an excessive cost, appears questionable after comparing the proposed fighters’ combat characteristics to other next generation fighters. The Su-47 Berkut can fly and fight at over 61,000 feet, yet the F-35’s maximum ceiling is listed as less than 50,000 feet.
How effective can Canadian pilots be in joint operations with our allies when the Eurofighter, F-22 Raptor and F-18 Super Hornet all operate at heights beyond what the proposed aircraft can reach? The speed discrepancies are even more discerning. The F-35, at 1,200 miles per hour, will be left in the proverbial dust. Not only will Canadian pilots not be able to keep up with our allies, they will not be able to escape potential enemies possessing the strategic advantages of height and speed.
Is there a better aircraft, one that would suit Canada’s territorial needs than the F-35? When one includes the extraordinary costs, the untested nature of the platform, as a veteran I think we should provide a platform inclusive of characteristics favourable to our pilots’ survival, speed and height being of key importance.
Nor does the Stand Up for Our Forces line reflect the treatment of those soldiers who have been wounded in action today and since the enactment of the New Veterans Charter in 2006. On Thursday, Auditor General Sheila Fraser substantiated veterans’ concerns about the New Veterans Charter Lump Sum Award. This unjust program, which replaced the honour of the sacred, lifetime responsibility a nation owes Canada’s sons and daughters when they are wounded in our name, was the primary motivation behind thousands of veterans who rallied across the nation during the Canadian Veterans National Day of Protest on Nov. 6. Our kids are coming home today with terrible wounds, missing limbs, blind, deafened and suffering a variety of consequences of war and they deserve the same standard of responsibility as our forefathers were entitled to, not the second class, cost-saving, one-time lump sum payment provided through the New Veterans Charter.
Stand up? I will welcome that day. As will the thousands of veterans who have been mistreated by the New Veterans Charter.
Michael L. Blais, Canadian Veterans Advocacy, Niagara Falls, Ont.
